Copy
Venture Boldly with Stanford University
View this email in your browser
Stanford eCorner Newsletter
Share
Tweet
Forward

NOVEMBER 2018

Choose Your Co-Founder with Care

In the past few decades, some of Silicon Valley’s most famous companies have been started by a duo: Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Jerry Yang and David Filo, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.

The success of these duos has resulted in what venture capitalist Mark Suster calls the “co-founder mythology,” the belief that you must have a co-founder in order to start a new company that thrives.

But while it’s not necessary to start a business with someone else, it is vital that if you decide to have a partner, you evaluate fit beyond the basics of hard-skills.

Consider these questions when sizing up a potential co-founder.

Do we share expectations of what it means to co-found? Instagram co-founders Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger say they got lucky—of all the founder pairs they know, they seem to fight the least. To ensure that your co-founder relationship has a similarly harmonious future in store, the Instagram duo suggest that you and your partner agree not just on the product you’re building but also the kind of commitment you’ll bring to the project. “If you’re in it for the long haul, make sure [your partners] are in it as well.”

Do we line up on values? Sameer Dholakia, CEO of SendGrid, says that when it comes to finding the right co-founder, having complementary technical skills is important but having aligned values can be even more so. “You’re going to spend more time, arguably, with that co-founder than you do with your spouse." 

Are you willing to spend your whole lives together? Again and again, entrepreneurs and investors have said that you should choose your co-founder as carefully as you’d choose your spouse. In a podcast with Stanford Professor Bob Sutton, Delfina Restaurant Group co-owners Craig and Annie Stoll talk about how as a husband-and-wife team, they navigate the daily hiccups that come with owning seven Bay Area restaurants. 

Bonus: Learn which details Craig and Annie micro-manage and which ones they don't!

Mauren Fan on Stanford eCorner

Don't Take No For an Answer

Maureen Fan, Baobab Studios

3 MIN | OCT 8, 2018

Cold emails. Chinese New Year parades. Ask. Ask again. And ask again.

Ashkay Kothari and Ankit Gupta on Stanford eCorner

Support Your Co-Founder

Akshay Kothari and Ankit Gupta, Pulse

4 MIN | APR 24, 2014

“Two [founders] has been really good for us in terms of balancing each other’s energy.” 

Mark Suster on Stanford eCorner

Include a Founder Vesting Clause 

Mark Suster, Managing Partner at Upfront Ventures

4 MIN | OCT 14, 2010

"There has to be a clause that says what happens if we fall out of love.” 

I am constantly in the biggest job I’ve ever done before. Surrounding myself with people who can shore up [everything] I'm weak on is key.

Tracy Young, PlanGrid

WATCH: Insights of a Young CEO
Stanford eCornerYouTubeTwitteriTunesStitcherSoundCloud
Stanford eCorner is produced by STVP, the entrepreneurship center at Stanford Engineering.

STVP
Huang Engineering Center
475 Via Ortega
Stanford, CA 94305
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.